Blank feeding device



June 20, 1939. s JOHNSON BLANK FEEDING DEVICE Filed July 17, 19.57 2 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR M m M A AT TORNEYS Jun 20, 1939- 5 JOHNSON 2,163,145

BLANK FEEDING DEVICE Filed July 17, 1937 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR JWW 2 i3 BY 5 Z Li.

%; ATTORN EYS Patented June 20, 1939 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE BLANK resume nnvron Application July 17, 1937, Serial No. 154,127

8 Claims.

This invention relates to a device for feeding sheet material blanks. The invention is especially adapted for the feeding of such blanks in conjunction with a printing press; and it has proven of great advantage in feeding paper blanks to offset printing presses, and accordingly this embodiment 'will be described in particularity h'erein as illustrative of the invention.

In printing on cardboard, paper, -or the like blanks it is necessary to feed such blanks to the printing unit separately; and for economy and rapid production this requires operating from a stack of many blanks in such manner as to successively remove individual blanks from the stack. Where the blanks are made of paper or relatively thin and easily bendable stock, "and especially where they are of curved or irregular outline, op-

erating upon a stack of such blanks for the de-,

shed purpose has caused considerable difliculty.

For example, the well-known picker feed, or other intermittent feed, for advancing blanks to the individual take-off mechanism has caused damage to the blanks by tearing or deforming the thin sheet stock of the blanks. This has been 'a great disadvantage, not only in causing irregular feeding, but in producing reject blanks.

An object of this invention is to produce a device adapted to operate upon a relatively'great number of blanks to automatically feed individ- 80 ual blanks from a stack of the sameat a uniform and rapid rate without injury to the blanks, and

tion will more fully appear from the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings which show, by way of example, the present preferred embodiment of the invention.

Referring to the accompanying drawings in Fig, 3 is a plan of parts of the device as iewed from 3-4 of Fig. 1.

Further objects and advantages of the inven- Fig. 4 is a somewhat enlarged transverse sectional elevation takenat 4-4 of Fig. 1, and

Fig. 5 is a somewhat similar view illustrating the feeding of a blank of different shape from that illustrated in the preceding views.

Certain parts of the device illustrated form part of an offset printing press, which press structure per se forms no part of the present invention, apart from the said feeding device; and accordingly only certain parts of said press structure will be shown as are necessary to a complete understanding of the present invention.

Referring more particularly to Fig. 1 of the drawings: I and 2 are longitudinal side frames of an offset printing press and are suitably spaced apart and rigidly interconnected by transverse members, one of which is indicated as 3'. The supporting frame carries a suitable printing unit designated in its entirety as 4 and comprising a printing roller or cylinder 5, a cooperating compression roller 6 and the usual ductor rollers and inking means which it is unnecessary to describe with particularity. The printing unit, including the pressure roller 8, is driven by a suitable source of power (not shown); The shaft 1 of the driven pressure roller 6 carries a sprocket wheel 8 engaging a chain 9 which in turn engages a sprocket Ill secured to shaft ll so that the source of power serves to simultaneously drive shafts 1 and l l.

A pair of conveyor chains l2 and I3 (see also Figs. 2 and 3), provided with feeding fingers such as ll, are supported in transversely spaced relation by a pair of driving sprockets (not shown) fixed to the driving shaft II and by a second pair .of sprockets such as I5 fixed to the shaft, l5 freely rotatably joumaled in suitable bearings.

A plurality of longitudinally extending trans-- versely spaced rods I! serve to support the blanks (indicated a) in their'travel to the printing unit l; and the upper travel of the chains l2--I3 is somewhatbelow the rods I! with the fingers l4 extending above the rods l1, so as to engage the blanks and carry them in spaced-apart position to the printing station.

I The purpose of the present invention is to deliver individual successive blanks to the foregoing mechanism from a stack of blanks, in a manner now to be described;

A transversely extending shaft I8 (Figs. 1 and 3) is rigidly attached at its ends to the respective side frames l, and 2, and serves to pivotally support a sub-frame or web l9 provided with a boss 20 carrying a set screw 21 to secure said web in desired position. The ,web l9 carries, secured along its-top edge to suitable enlarged portions,-

Z angles (Fig. 4) 22-22 which extend rearwardly beyond said web. At the rear of and between said angles 2225 a block 24 is secured. A rod 25 is secured at its upper end to block 24, and a second rod 25 has its lower end secured to cross piece 3; the inner ends of said rods being spaced apart and oppositely threaded, and being in threaded engagement with a turnbuckle 21 provided with the usual lock nuts. This provides an adjustable rear leg adapted to support the web i5 11; the desired pivotal position about shaft :5 as a p vot.

A plate 25 (Figs. 2, 3 and 4) is secured on the top of web I! extending axially thereof between the angles 22-23, the forward end extending somewhat beyond the web (Fig. 2) and this provides a table or track along which a stack 11 of blanks may be. moved. A pair of supporting pulleys 253|l (Figs. 1, 3 and 4) are suitably journaled adjacent the upper forward corner of web [5, with one pulley on each side thereof; and a corresponding pair of pulleys 5i32 are suitably journaled on a block 33 secured to a plate 34 carrying a slot through which screws extend and are secured to the, block 24 so as to permit free relative sliding movement between the plate 34 and block 24. An adjusting screw 35 is in threaded engagement. with and passes through block 33, with its inner end engag ng block 24, to provide for adjusting the pulleys axially of the table 25.

Two conveyor belts 35-31 (Figs. 1 and 3) pass around said supporting pulleys and are positioned on opposite sides of said plate 28 and lie respectively upon the Z angles 22--23 (Fig. 4) and 111-: side the upturned side walls thereof; it being noted that the upper faces of the belts lie in a plane somewhat above the upper surface of the plate 25. The lower loops of the respective belts are arranged and driven as follows. From the forward pulleys 29-40 the belts pass rearwardly over idle pulleys (Figs. 1 and 4) 3839, suitably journaled on the web l5, around driving drums 45- and .around a pair of idle pulleys such as 42 journaled on dependent arms secured to the Z angles (Fig. 1-) the idle pulleys serving to hold the belts in surface contact with driving drums '45--4l for approximately 180.

The driving drums (Fig. 4) 45- are freely rotatably journaled on a floating spindle axle 43 which is journaled at its mid point within a hollow arbor 44 having a press fit within the inner race of a roller bearing 45 whose outer race has a press fit in a cooperating bore in web IS. The drums are provided respectively with inner friction faces in the form of leather or the like face plates 45'4i'. The outer ends of the arbor 44 are of reduced diameter and carry respective gear discs 45-41 fixed thereon, as by a press fit, and spaced slightly outwardly from the respectively opposite sides of web I! by shoulders provided on the arbor 44. The outer ends of axle 43 are threaded and carry knurled adjusting nuts 45-45 and cooperating lock nuts 5fl-5i. Helical compression springs- 52-53 are positioned between respective drums 4li4i and nuts 48-45 with their inner'ends surrounding the hubs of said drums and their outer ends surrounding cooperating portions on said nuts. This structure provides for individually adjusting the friction drive between gears 45-41 and drums 40--4l. The gear discs 45--4| are in respective driven engagement with spur gears 54-55 pinned to shaft 55 which is journaled in web i9 by means of a roller bearing 51, and the'other end of shaft 55 is suitably journaled (Fig. l) on side frame 2 and ad-- jacent this end is connected to the power train of the press by means comprising a pulley 58 and belt 55 whose forward end engages a pulley 55 fixed on a shaft 5i suitably journaled in the 5 i press frame.

The shaft 5i also carries fixed thereon a driven pinion gear 52 in mesh with a gear wheel 53 fixed to shaft 54 which is also journaled in the press frame.

The shaft 54 carries a blank feed or take-01f 1 roller 55 (Figs. 2 and 3) fixed thereto midway between the press side frames i and 2. The feed roller is provided with two series 55 -5l of friction inserts whose outer ends project slightly beyond the periphery of the roller, so as to fric- 1g tionally engage the front face of blanks successively presented thereto by a stack b of blanks a supported edgewise on the table 25 and engaged at the forward end by a transversely extending end plate 55 supported from the press frameand 2 tion to the power train has been described pre- 31 viously.

The gear 55 is also in driving mesh with a pinion gear lli fixed to a shaft ll journaled on plates 12-'-I3 fastened to web IS. The shaft Ii (Fig. 1)

has fixed thereto a driving pulley 14. A cooperating pulley I5 is suitably journaled on the forward end of plates 'l2 -'|5; and an idle pulley l5 and an adjustablebelt tightening pulley 'll are suitably supported as indicated. A conveyor belt 15 surrounds the pulleys l4 l5 and 15 and is engaged by the adjustable pulley 11 to bring the upper loop of the belt 15 into engagement with the periphery of the roller 55 from adjacent the forward end of table 25 to adjacent plane of the rods I! (Fig. 2) this belt being driven at approxi- 4 mately the same linear speed as that of the roller 55, with which it cooperates in transporting the successive individual blanks from the discharge opening provided between the table 25 and end plate 55 of the blank stack supporting means and 5 the rods I I of the press table from where the blanks are then engaged by the fingers i4 and fed to the press unit 4.

, Operation The blanks a illustrated .by way of example in Figs. 1-4, inclusive, are of sheet paper stock of a thickness of the order of .010 inch, and the particular shape shown is intended for making multi-ply spirally wound frustroconical bodies a for containers such as are known in the trade as Nestrite". A large number of these blanks are arranged in stack formation (Figs, 1 and 2) with their lower edges supported on the friction belt conveyors 35-41 and intermediate table 28 with 0 the forward end of the stack 1) resting against the end plate 55. The lateral position of the stack is suitably guided as by means of the horns or arms 19 (see also Figs. 2, 3 and 4) which are adapted to be adjusted to the proper position on 7 and supported by the end plate 58. The rear end i of the table 25 is tapered downwardly so that i when the rear end of the stack extends rearwardly of the table. the blanks will not catch on 1 the table edge as they are fed forward. The for- 71 The shaft 54, carrying aieaias Ward and downward inclination of the table 26 and belts 36-31 urgesthe blanks to maintain stack formation; but a short length of angle bar, or the like 60 (Fig. 1), is found useful in maintaining the rearmost'blanks of the stack in position when the blanks are relatively thin.

With the parts positioned as described, the turnbuckle 21 (Fig. 1) is adjusted so that the forward edge of table 28 (Fig. 2) is spaced the proper distance from the end plate 68, and more especially from the adjacent peripheral surface of the roller 65, so that one blank a at a time and no more may be withdrawn from the stack 1). The speed of the belts 36-31 is adjusted by the operation of the nuts 4849 (Fig. 4), and locked in adjusted position by lock nuts 5l, so that the linear individual speed of the belts 36-41 is approximately the same and'is slightly in excess of the normal required movement of the stack b; thus insuring a sufficient conveyor speed to insure maintaining the stack always against the end plate 68 with the foremost blank in feeding position to feed roller 65. The difierence in the speed of travel of the conveyor belts and stack movement is provided for by slip loss permitted between the lower edges of the blanks and the belts; and in the event that this slippage is insufficient, as where the great weight of the stack is such as to cause too great friction between stack and conveyor belts, the adjustable resilient friction driving means for the belts will avoid any undue feeding pressure being exerted on the blanks. The adjusted speed of the belts will naturally progressively increase by slight increments as the stack is diminished; but the stack weight decreases in the same direct ratio so that the frictional feed is substantially constant and the increased speed compensated by increased slippage between conveyor belts and stack. However, the stack is usually continuously replenished before being consumed.

With the stack fed forward as described, the feed roller 65 carries one set of .the friction inserts, such as 66, into engagement with the foremost blank (Fig, 2) and frictionally withdraws said blank downwardly between the roller surface and cooperating belt 16 which grip the blank and carry it forward (Fig. 3) onto the rods I1 into position to be engaged by a set of fingers M which feed it to the printing unit. Next, the

' succeeding set 61 of friction inserts engages the next succeeding blank on the face of the stack and similarly withdraws it; and so on.

In Fig. 5 there is more or less diagrammati cally illustrated the adjustment of arms 19 on plate 68 for the accommodation of circular blanks, such as are used in the manufacture of one-piece pleated paper cups; cross rods 8| being carried on the'arms 19 to support the rear end of the stack in place in lieu of the angle 8|) of Fig. 1 for supporting the blanks there shown. These two forms of blanks are shown to illustrate two of the many shapes which the device is 7 .way deforming or otherwise injuring the blanks.

Furthermore, great flexibility of operation and adaptability to various shapes, sizes and thicknesses of blanks is provided. Y

Having thus described my invention with particularity with reference to its preferred form,'.

it will be obvious to those skilled in the art, after understanding my invention, that other changes and modifications may be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of my invention, and I aim in the appended claims to cover such changes and modifications as are within the scope of the invention.

What I claim is:

1. In a blank feeding device, the combination of means for supporting a stack of blanks of sheet material on edge, variable speed continuously moving conveyor means constructed and'arranged so as to frictionally engage the under- ,belts; said last means comprising freely rotatably supported driving means, two freely rotatably supported drums respectively adjacent cooperating faces of said driving means and in driving engagement respectively with said belts, friction means intermediate the respectively adjacent faces of said driving means and said drums and adjustable means for resiliently urging said drums toward said driving means to individually vary the friction drive of said belts.

3. In a blank feeding device, the combination of a table having an end stop and providing a discharge opening adjacent said end stop, two conveyor belts disposed respectively on opposite sides of said table extending longitudinally thereof and providing spaced apart upper. friction surfaces disposed slightly above the upper surface of said table, said belts and intermediate table providing a support for a stack of sheet material blanks positioned edgewise thereon with the forward end of said stack against said end stop and said belts serving to progressively feed the said blanks toward said stop and individually into successive register with said discharge open ing, and means for withdrawing said individual blanks successively from said stack and through said opening.

4. In combination with printing apparatus, a blank feeding device comprising means for supporting a stack'of blanks of variable weight on edge in position adjacent a feeding roller adapted to feed to said printing device successive blanks, friction conveyor means extending lengthwise of said support and positioned to engage frictionally with edges of said blanks to yieldingly feed said stack toward said feeding roller and to maintain the first blank of said stack in delivering position against said feeding roller, and means for frictionally-driving said conveyor means, said friction conveyor means and said friction drive for said'conveyor being so constructed and arranged as to exert a substantially constant pressure of the foremost blank against the feeding roller during variations in the weight of said stack.

5. In combination with printing apparatus, a blank feeding device comprising means for supporting a stack of blanks on edge in position adjacent feeding means adapted to feed to said printing device successive blanks, said supporting means comprising a downwardly inclined table, conveyor means extending axially of said table and providing a frictional surface positioned g slightly above the upper surface of said table and substantially .parallel therewith for friotionally engaging the lower edges. of said blanks'resting on said table, and means for frictionally driving said conveyor means, said friction conveyor means and said friction drive for said conveyor being so constructed and arranged as to exert a substantially constant-pressure of the foremost blank against the feeding roller during variations in the weight of said stack.

15 6. In combination with printing apparatus. a blank feeding device comprisingtable means for supporting a stack of blanks on edge in position adjacent feeding means adapted to feed to said printing device successive blanks, said feed- :0 ing means comprising a friction roller, conveyor belt means extending axially of said table for frictionally yieldingly engaging thelower edges of said blanks, adjustable friction driving means for driving said conveyor belt means, and means 5 for adjusting the position of said table relative to said roller to provide for varying thickness of blanks to be fed. a

7. In combination with printing apparatus, a

blank feeding device comprising means for supporting a variable stack of blanks'on edge in position adjacent a feeding roller adapted to feed to said printing device successive blanks, frictionally driven conveyor means extending lengthwise of said support and positioned and arranged to engage frictionally with edges of said blanks and exert through said blanks a constant substantially uniform predetermined pressure between the foremost blank and said feeding roller to yieldingly feed said stack toward said feeding roller and to maintain the forward blank of said stack in delivering position, and frictional driving means for said conveyor means constructed and arranged so as to deliver to said last-mentioned means sufficient power to maintain the aforementioned predetermined pressure upon the feeding roller.

8. In combination with printing apparatus, a blank feeding device comprising means for supporting a stack of blanks on edge in position adjacent feeding'means adapted to feed to said printing device successive blanks, said supporting means comprising a downwardly inclined table. conveyor means extending axially of said table and providing a frictional surface positioned slightly above the upper surface of said table and substantially parallel therewith so constructed and arranged as to frictionaliy engage the loweredges ofsaidbanks restingonsaidtableandconstantly and yieldingly urge them forward against said feeding means, adiustable driving means constructed and arranged so as to frictionally engage said conveyor means and constantly supply thereto a predetermined substantially uniform power input. a

. 811m IVAR JOHNSON, 

